Dr. Vidhu Prakash Kayastha, Kathmandu.
Nepal is on the brink of a major transformation. After decades of political turmoil and a peace process that ended the violent insurgency, our new republic is still fragile. But beneath the fatigue of party strife and constant instability lies a great hope. This hope lies in the resilience of indigenous communities who have preserved the nature and culture of the Himalayas, the hills, and the Terai for thousands of years. If we can channel this indigenous energy in the right direction, it will ignite the true renaissance we need.
Democracy is not just about ballots—it is about representation, fairness, and opportunity. But our electoral system is still riddled with collusion between corrupt leaders who have amassed more ill-gotten wealth than people’s sovereignty. The proportional representation system, introduced in 2064 to increase inclusivity, was capped by a threshold that barred minorities including indigenous tribes, Madhesis, and Muslims from entering parliament.
Small parties representing the voices of Madhesi, Adivasi-Janajati, Dalit, women and youth are disqualified before they even enter parliament, not because they lack public support, but because the rules are written in their favor by those in power. This is contrary to the letter and spirit of the constitution. It has protected a single racial dominance.
In 2064 BS, the Interim Constitution of Nepal introduced a proportional electoral system to lay the foundation for inclusive democracy. The main objective of this system was to ensure meaningful participation of indigenous peoples, Madhesis, Dalits, women, Muslims, backward regions and minority communities in the state machinery. However, this system was curtailed by the provision of a 3 percent threshold and a requirement to win one seat directly, which was not mentioned in the 2072 BS Constitution. As a result, it became almost impossible for small and regional parties to enter parliament. The threshold is against the letter and spirit of the Constitution.
This was seen in the 2079 BS elections. Although some Madhesi-centric parties and small ethnic-centric parties garnered significant votes in the proportional system, they did not get a single seat due to the threshold. Thus, the representation of millions of people was reduced to zero in one fell swoop. The Democratic Socialist Party (LSP) could not even cross the threshold in the proportional system. A total of only seven parties crossed the threshold (3 percent of the total number of votes) for the proportional system. Among them, only those who won seats directly were recognized as national parties.
The Unified Socialist Party, which won 10 seats directly, the LSP, which won 4 seats, the Nagarik Unmukti Party, which won 3 seats, and the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and the Rastriya Janamorcha, which won one seat each, could not cross the threshold in proportional representation. As a result, all these parties have been deprived of becoming national parties. The provision of the threshold is against the inclusive principle of Article 84(1) of the Constitution, the pluralism mentioned in the Preamble, and the spirit of proportional-inclusive representation. The rules made by the ruling major parties to maintain their dominance have not allowed the multi-ethnic, multilingual, and multicultural character of Nepal to be reflected in the Parliament. As a result, the Parliament is filled with a majority of single castes and hill groups, which has not only given institutional protection to “single ethnic dominance” but also constitutional recognition.
This leads to dissatisfaction with the state, regional rebellion, and a crisis of faith in democracy in the long run. The constitution, brought in the name of inclusive democracy, has actually protected exclusion. Only by removing the threshold can this injustice end.
Honesty and transparency in elections are the foundation of freedom. The 2022 provincial and federal elections have once again disillusioned the honest rural voters with proxy voting, booth-holding in remote villages, and bribery. In 21st century Nepal, muscle and wealth still determine many outcomes. Rural voters feel their votes are being sold like commodities. The Election Commission should be given the financial and legal authority to provide real-time electronic monitoring, biometric verification, and prompt judicial redress.
If only the captain changes in a sinking economic ship, democracy will be hollow. Employment and education are the pillars of a strong democracy. After a youth from Dang passes his Plus Two, he needs a job to support his family, not a lecture on civic duty. If a Tharu girl from Chitwan, who came first in school, cannot afford college fees, she needs a scholarship and a hostel, not a symbolic reservation quota. Every year, half a million Nepali youth enter the labor market. Most are forced to go for low-paying foreign employment. The remittances they send not only boost the economy, but also hollow out the future of the country’s future generations.
Our rivers can provide twenty times more electricity than they currently produce. If we build transmission lines and focus on domestic consumption rather than selling raw electricity to our neighbors at a pittance, we have the resources to avert this tragedy. If we can manage our forests and agriculture properly, we can become self-sufficient in food and forest products and earn income through exports. Nepal’s inclusive renaissance will be built on sustainability and a shared heritage. Inclusion does not mean just having one or two Madhesi or tribal ministers at the center.
The concept of inclusion should give leadership to indigenous peoples at all three levels of government, with the right to self-determination in development and administrative mechanisms, to raise their own revenue, to create curricula in their mother tongue, and to protect ancestral lands from predatory hydropower contracts. Sustainability means not treating the mountains as just a backdrop for selfies, but as a stream of water on earth. Every megawatt generated from hydropower here must be accompanied by afforestation, watershed management, and equitable benefit sharing. Shared heritage means recognizing that the Newar courtyards of Bhaktapur, the Thakali Lodge of Mustang, the Rai Thans of the eastern hills, and the Muslim madrasas of the Terai—all are equal threads of the national fabric.
Let’s look at the young musician who connects the Tamang cello with hip-hop, the Janajati designer who took traditional Dhaka clothing to Paris Fashion Week, the Sherpa entrepreneurs who built an electric ropeway in Solukhumbu. They should not ask for permission from Singha Durbar. They are already building the Nepal of tomorrow. The job of the state is to provide them with protection and a way out of their difficulties. Ending the syndicate that strangles the ease of transportation and construction, ensuring the right to property rights without bribery in land records, and creating an environment where appointments are made based on merit rather than patronage in universities are the cornerstones of Nepal’s renaissance.
History is a witness—nations rise up by courageously becoming themselves, abandoning imitations of others. Switzerland became a federal state with four languages and twenty-six cantons. Today, Switzerland is rich and stable. Costa Rica abolished the army and invested in education and eco-tourism. Today, Costa Rica’s human development is higher than that of many of its wealthier neighbors. More than a new ideology, Nepal needs only faith in its own talent.
The young woman casting her first vote in a Himalayan village, the Madhesi farmer protecting his land from floods and encroachment, the Newar artisan of Lalitpur teaching his son the art of carving wooden windows—all of these are currently writing the first pages of Nepal’s renaissance. Not to suppress their voices, but to create institutions that will resonate, to bring policies that will turn their dreams into livelihoods, to make democracy not a traditional periodical but a daily practice of dignity.
Let us not wait for change. Let us be the change. Nepal’s renaissance begins today.
